‎By Ahmed Akanbi

‎The African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of turning Nigeria into a government defined by scandals, saying the pattern of controversies has made the administration “the scandal itself.”

‎In a statement issued Sunday through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said scandals are no longer isolated incidents but “recurring features of governance” under President Tinubu.

‎Citing an African proverb, the former vice president said: “When a man’s roof leaks every rainy season, neighbours stop blaming the clouds and begin to question the strength of the house itself. Nigeria has sadly arrived at that point.

‎“The issue is no longer one scandal or another. The issue is the pattern. And when scandals become a pattern of governance, the inevitable conclusion is this: you are no longer managing scandals; you have become the scandal itself.”

‎Atiku said the controversy surrounding the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) is not just another embarrassment but the latest chapter in an ever-expanding book of scandals that have come to define the Tinubu government.

‎He noted that Nigerians have watched a familiar pattern: allegations surface, committees are hurriedly set up, promises of accountability are made, headlines trend, and then “silence descends.”

‎The former Vice President recalled the suspension of ex-Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu, over alleged financial impropriety, saying Nigerians are still waiting for a full public account.

‎He also cited persistent questions over transparency at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) allegations of crude oil theft and illegal tanker releases, discrepancies in the 2024 budget, billions spent on refinery rehabilitation with little results, and opaque contract awards.

‎Atiku alleged selective justice, stating that government machinery moves fast against ordinary citizens but slows down “when questions drift dangerously close to the corridors of power.”

‎“This selective application of justice is corrosive to public confidence because it creates the dangerous impression that there are two systems of accountability in Nigeria: one for the powerful and another for everyone else,” he said.